Wanting to try out my new Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens on my new Sony a7R V camera, I went to the Bosque at sunset time to see what kind of shots I could create with a long lens, albeit it one with a large aperture capable of very shallow DoF. By the time I got there the light was indeed fading fast. I chose to focus on foreground objects and leave the sunset itself out of focus. This results in a kind of melting effect to how the sunset looks. I actually liked shooting at f/1.4 at 85mm and getting most of what was in the photo out of focus. This is most easily seen in the above photo of the very fine grass sticking out toward the sunset. This grass was so hard to see even with the a7R V’s AI based autofocus, I had to manually focus the lens!
Horses free in the world at twilight share a moment
At the end of a long day out in Cibola County, New Mexico on a pair of rural land real estate photo shoots, my evening end with a view of this horse dreamscape. I was rushing around to try and beat the increasing clouds that were blocking out the sunset, but I paused for a moment seeing these horses far in the distance, who I believe are looking right back at me. There was no fence between me and those horses, so I could have walked right up to them and touched them. That makes me think they are wild horses, free in the world. After a very hard day out in the field, for a moment, there was a shared moment of peace with those horses. We then each went our own ways into the twilight.
While in Angel Fire, New Mexico recently for a rural land real estate shoot, I also made some twilight commercial real estate photos of Angel Fire Resort. I was actually staying at an Airbnb a two minute walk away, so that let me wait for the most ideal time of light and sky to make these long exposure photos. I have been to Angel Fire five times, which is famous for its skiing, but I have never been there in winter! So I have no idea what it looks like to most people who visit this hidden gem of a small town in northern New Mexico.
Telephoto Dreamscape Views of Sand Dunes in Colorado
This is my second series of photos from Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado (wide angle first series here), this time featuring all images made with a telephoto lens (Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master). You may think for landscape photography that automatically it’s best to use a wide angle lens. Many times that is the case, but when you are very far from the subject, even a very large subject like sand dunes, a telephoto lens can bring you in close, and produce a unique looking landscape image. As I was driving in to Sand Dunes National Park, I thought the sand dunes themselves looked fake, like CGI. There were this soft focus, creamy aberration before more solid, corporeal mountains. As I was leaving the park, I pulled over and took out the telephoto lens to capture these dreamscape like images. Tell me the sand dunes do not look like they were put into the photos as digitally created features?
Time and opportunity to see rare sights in New Mexico
My work as the most prolific rural land real estate photographer in New Mexico takes me to many out of the way places one may never normally see. For example, Berrendo Creek is probably not on the itinerary of many people who visit Roswell. It is far from the alien themed main street and easy to not even notice driving by the country road it is on. I actually remembered from when I was last here over 2 years ago, and this time I had the time to stop by while there was still some light left in the twilightsky. Such is how I get to see many things in New Mexico in just four years of residing here.
There was just enough light left as twilight was arriving to get a few photos of the amazing metal dinosaur sculptures of Rattlesnake Ranch in Benson, Arizona (see map below for directions). These near life-size dinosaurs, though rusting, show their personality, their ferociousness, and some their peaceful nature. For a dinosaur fan, this is a must see and worth going off of the interstate to find. I recommend going near sunset time to get the most out of their desert setting.
At the end of August I had a unique opportunity to photograph and fly over a unique luxury ranch property only about 1.5 miles as the crow flies beyond the New Mexico border in a small, small town call Blue River, Arizona. This shoot was unique because I actually stayed on the property in the guest cabin, so I could easily shoot at all hours of the day capturing a luxury real estate property like I never was able to do before. The owner, Miriam, was a gracious host and very helpful even in assisting with some aspects of the shoot. If you want acres of land, your very own pond, and privacy, this might just be the place for you! Miriam has created a fantastic website highlighting everything about this property featuring the photos and drone content I made over the course of 3 days on site. Thank you Miriam for choosing me as your photographer and drone pilot, it was a great shoot and a wonderful time on the ranch.
